How the Outdoors Influenced my Writing
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New Cozy Release from ML Erdahl, Spring Upon a Crime |
Because my main character Crystal Rainey is a wilderness guide, I’m often asked if I’m an avid outdoorsman. Indeed, I have spent a lifetime camping, hiking, and getting into all sorts of mischief in the forests of the Pacific Northwest and it has become the bedrock for my settings.
I’ve reached into the deep recesses of my memory, and pulled out the very first recollection I have of camping with my family. Below is a first-hand account of a moment in history that I brushed a little too close to for comfort.
Forty years ago, my family chose a dubious course of action prior to the Mt. St. Helens eruption. I remember my parents and extended family members discussing that a mountain was erupting soon and why don’t we check it out? I should have asked, “Pray tell, why are we planning a camping trip in the shadow of an imminently exploding volcano?” However, I did not, because it was only weeks until my fifth birthday and I assumed the tall people around me were guided by wisdom.
My parents loaded our station wagon, and we met the rest of the clan at a campground. I’m sure I did the usual kindergarten-age camping stuff; throwing rocks in the river, digging in the dirt, and roasting marshmallows. Nonetheless, these mundane activities were not burned into my brain forever.About Spring Upon A Crime
Wilderness guide Crystal Rainey leads a group of college students to a private campground amidst the awe-inspiring Olympic Rain Forest. The excursion is ruined when the charming hostess Roxie is discovered standing over the land owner's body, murder weapon in hand.
Enlisted to investigate the crime to absolve her friend, Crystal descends on the quiet city of Forks to find loggers, developers, and eco-protesters circling the property, intent on either exploiting or protecting the bastion of old-growth forest. The list of suspects is intimidating. Can Crystal find answers in a community determined to keep her in the dark?
About ML Erdahl
Award-winning author ML Erdahl lives amidst the trees of the Pacific Northwest, where he pens humorous cozy mystery novels set in the wilderness he has spent his lifetime exploring. The only thing slowing him down is when his adorable rescue dogs, Skip and Daisy, demand to be pet and cuddled on his lap while he types. When he's not working away in front of a computer, you can find him gardening, hiking, or grumbling to his wife, Emily, about the perpetual Northwest winter rain that prevents him from going outside.
Thank you so much for the wonderful review and for sharing my book on your blog today! It has made my day that you enjoyed Spring Upon a Crime so much. The story was a ridiculous amount of fun to write, and I'm thrilled to begin sharing it with the world.
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